Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

The lighthouse port bustled with extraordinary activity, as twelve oars-and-sails warships were docked at the wharf, with laborers transporting dry food and barrels of fresh water onto the ships. The sailors disembarked and pitched tents on the open ground of the harbor, made fires for cooking, and rested.

Ever since leaving Vineta, the oars-and-sails warships' sailors could only drink cold water and eat dry hardtack that had lost its moisture. It was only after arriving at the lighthouse port that they tasted hot soup and fresh bread for the first time.

Other lucky ones from the ships selected by lot also pitched camps and made fires on the shore, but they were strictly isolated from the oars-and-sails sailors and were not allowed to intermingle.

It was the same with the sailors from the oars-and-sails ships; each ship's crew set up their own camp, and the lieutenants and midshipmen took turns patrolling, forbidding any sailor from leaving their ship's encampment on their own.

All these measures were for epidemic prevention. Vice Admiral Nalesho, who had lived at sea his entire life, saw it as only a matter of time before a contagious disease broke out on the filthy, crowded oars-and-sails ships, and that it was inevitable no matter how hard one tried to avoid it.

The only thing the vice admiral could do was prevent the spread of disease from the sailors on the oars-and-sails ships to the large sail ships.

Outside the harbor, the rest of the fleet anchored.

The entire fleet seemed irregularly moored at the anchorage, but actually followed an internal pattern.

The Glorious and supply ships anchored on the innermost, the large merchant ships carrying the third legion's infantry anchored near The Glorious, and the navy's main force of large sail warships in the outer circle, protecting the merchant ships carrying infantry.

The other light vessels of the fleet were placed by Vice Admiral Nalesho at the position farthest from the flagship, serving as the outermost layer and sentinels of the entire fleet.

As night fell, the bustling port gradually quieted down, but the atmosphere aboard The Glorious gradually heated up as a grand banquet was being held on The Glorious.

The temporary bulkheads on the gun deck had been torn down, and square tables were put together to form one long table, spanning from the prow to the stern.

Antonio and Nalesho, the two admirals, sat side by side at one end of the long table near the prow, with other navy and army officers seated face to face, roughly placed in descending order of rank towards the stern.

Using small boats, the navy transported freshly slaughtered cows, pigs, and poultry, as well as fresh vegetables and fruits, and fine wine from the harbor.

The cooks on the ship truly outdid themselves that night, continuously presenting one dish after another from the ship's small kitchen to the long table.

The preparation of these dishes was quite simple, involving only roasting and boiling. The meat was speared and roasted, while the vegetables and fruits were washed and served in dishes.

But having fresh meat and vegetables on a ship was a rare treat, and everyone at the banquet was very happy, lavishing praise on the head chef for his skill, making the burly sailor blush with embarrassment.

While the officers dined inside the cabin, the sailors on deck received double the usual ration of strong spirits in accordance with the Victory Festival standards and enjoyed roasted meat and vegetable soup delivered from the kitchen. Although they had no tables and chairs, their joy was no less than that of the officers.

Winters had never attended such an interesting party; the venue was so dim, low, and simple: Winters's chair was backed against The Glorious's cannons, and the deck was not far above their heads, with dozens of candles on the table providing the only light in the cabin.

There were no doily tablecloths, no fine porcelain, no silver and gold cutlery—in fact, they didn't even have enough tableware. The Glorious had never hosted so many officers before, and by regulation, the officers could not use the sailors' eating utensils, so those sitting in the latter half of the long table had to eat their meat with their hands.

Yet the atmosphere in the cabin was so warm and cheerful. To Winters, this seemed countless times more enjoyable than the pretentious receptions held by the Navarre family or the serious dining gatherings of the land forces.

Who would have thought that the navy, so rigorous with its rules, would cast aside notions of hierarchy when it came to the dining table?

Aboard The Glorious's gun deck, army and navy officers converged joyfully, and it was impossible to tell they were groups that normally looked down on each other.

The officers didn't drink much, but their faces were flushed with happiness. Antonio was particularly witty, and from his end of the table near the prow, bouts of hearty laughter erupted frequently.

Winters, Bard, Andre, and other warrant officers were seated at the far end of the table. They couldn't hear what the higher-ranking officers were saying, only the waves of laughter and thumping on the table.

But being far away had its advantages; no one minded the manners of these low-ranking officers in training, and since all the dishes came from their end of the table, the few warrant officers could eat to their heart's content without regard for decorum.

Andre passed his plate to Winters, piled high with meat like a stack of blocks. With his cheeks full, he chewed vigorously while speaking indistinctly, "Eat... eat this meat, it's cooked deliciously..."

Winters didn't hesitate to push half of the roasted meat onto his own plate, raising his glass with a smile, "To the cooks! To the flames in the stove! And to this pig!"

Andre, grinning ear to ear, reached out with his glass for a clink.

Bard, too, silently raised his glass for a touch, as he preferred not to talk while eating.

Opposite the few army warrant officers, sat four or five youngsters who appeared to be only in their teens.

One of them, with golden curls, struggled to break off a rib but lacked the strength, and the rib was unusually tough; no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't budge.